Great news yesterday! I got the letter through from the council telling me that I'd been successful in applying for my small business grant and I have now been offered the full amount for my business!
This means I have a little bit of extra help with kitting out my office space, and getting some proper promotional material designed in time for the Country Living Christmas Fair in November.

News has also come in from the British workshop giving me a progress report.It seems the Burton Bag proto is almost finished and they are pleased with the results.I am really excited about seeing it completed.

Today's weather is amazing. Blustery, blowy and super hot! Perhaps a little too windy for the novice sailors who launch their little dinghies from St Leonards' Sailing Club across the road from me, but the sun's warmth is pushing the clouds so they zip and whoosh along at a dizzying rate.After yesterday's storm and torrential rain the air feels cleansed and fresh - lovely.
Talking of zipping along, the London manufacturer I'm developing new styles with has just rung to talk about their zippers and fittings and we've discussed the leather we're going to use for the Bucket Tote and new Burton Bag.The patterns have been made from my templates and all is well.

I'm also collaborating with some dear friends in India with the aim to sell some super luxe, 100% cashmere shawls and scarves...in wonderfully chic cafe latte colours and a soft hand-feel to die for..
watch this space over the next month.

This morning I received a courier of sample swatches for the heavy cotton twill linings to choose for the tiny Chinese production. As this is a much higher end product, I had wanted to create a bespoke printed lining but I think it'll have to wait until the next collection- I am running out of production time for my deadline, and I don't want to rush the print design process....It'll be an extra surprise for the next time...I have chosen a smart sludgy ochre mustard coloured lining that will complement all the leather colours I'm working with.

I've also been thinking a lot about surprising colour combos recently and so I took this photo of my fave cordial bottle with its' bright orange label, and how it clashes with the grey wall on our landing and the purple flowers it holds... I also
love this photo from Le Jardin Majorelle, in Marrakcech  - what amazing zing that orange has! It's almost florescent.              
         

I know it's all seemed so painfully slow, but to get what I wanted, in terms of quality and small exclusive manufacturing runs, it's taken time, patience and considerable determination to get to this point - I am pleased and excited to say I'm nearly there! The wonderful Italian tumble-washed leather has been booked, and I have sourced the hardware fittings in UK to improve the quality and durability of my bags.I have also designed some new styles and have made the patterns and templates for the manufacturers to work from.Things are coming together nicely.

After a brief break in Marakech my eyes have been saturated with colour and bold textures which was really inspiring! I have really needed a change of scene and although short, it's been a real pick-me-up.
I have my results from all of you who kindly took part in my survey and it's been very useful in getting my designs worked on in China.
My first protos with this new manufacturer have worked well and I'm making design revisions this week.I have chosen the colours I want from the Italian tannery but alas, a couple are not available to me in such limited quantities, so it's back to the drawing board with one or two.
I have to keep remembering that although I was this re-launch to be "perfect" the joy of working within the fashion industry is that it is always changing so I can learn every season and improve and adjust each time. So what I can't achieve for this collection, I can do the following one!
I think I will add some photo images for you to see how it's all coming together soon.

Well, Summer was supposed to have arrived by now, but here I am sitting in my office
with the lights on, cardy round my shoulders, feeling like it's "wet playtime" at Junior School.
We've just a Bank Holiday weekend, and I managed to dig over a few wayward bits of a
flowerbed, get my husband Tim to put up a plastic greenhouse for me, and have planted
some Purple Sprouting Broccolli in little pots...We also have 4 tomato plants given to us by Tim's
father, which we hope will now survive our very salty seaside winds and I might even try to grow
more strawberries under cover too.

Meanwhile, on the handbag front, I have sent off an application form applying for a local business grant to help with materials and office equipment to help me convert my hap-hazzard office/spare room into a proper working studio space. I feel it's really important for me to have a designated creative workspace at home now, to reaffirm this is more than a hobby.It's going to be my main income and career now.It feels good to be really pushing forward like this.

I have also got the results back from a survey I sent out to everyone on my mailing list. I had a good response- I think so far it's looking like 79 people out of 140 took part, so that's a pretty high response rate as surveys go.It's helping me with my decisions on colour, and style.It's also helped me to see how popular The Country Living Fairs are, so I will have plenty of invites to dish out later this year.
Well, I best get back to the survey to glean some more information, and look forward to my proto samples arriving this week.
 

I am feeling very inspired by the fab new Italian leathers which arrived last week.The colours are to die for, and I'm having trouble choosing between them. There's a huge urge to play it safe and repeat the shades I had last time, but I also want to inject some "new-ness" to the latest collection that's in development.
The weather here, too is very inspiring.The tide was low on Sunday and the beach sand was scattered with men women and children, all behaving like the latter, bobbing in the gentle waves and enjoying the sun.We walked from St Leonards to Bexhill all along the water's edge.Bliss.
Dogs ran and crashed into the waves, fetching balls, sticks and frisbees, shaking their glossy wet fur, their tongues lolling like cartoon characters.

Summer is definitely on its' way.

Well, having recovered from the Hastings pagan fest called "Jack in the Green", where the whole town turns into greenly-tinged Shreks and dons a vast array of ivy, flowers and other forms of verdant foliage, I have been juggling several pressing jobs and finally getting somewhere!
I delivered the 100 printed eco shoppers I designed for local St Leonards store "PLENTY" and the owner Helen, and her customers seemed very pleased with the results- We designed a shopper that was unisex, reflected the products that Plenty sell, and celebrated the store's 1st anniversary.
I have worked a little more on my business plan for my loan application to help me purchase more materials, and have attended a couple of design interviews too....
The dog's had bronchitis (or should that be barkitis) for the last 2 weeks and it's been exhausting with him whooping away all night and whining into the wee small hours.Still, his new batch of anti-biotics should kick in soon,and we'll all get some rest!
Finally, I have got some news from China, and my prototypes are on their way after the volcano prevented air travel.The parcel is now due to reach me here in East Sussex in 10 days time, and then the real work begins, honing the hardware fittings and choosing the leathers for production.

Please don't forget to use my contact form if you'd like to join the mailing list- I'll then be able to let you know when the stock is ready to buy!

Well, well, well, a bit of positive thinking this month, thanks to a book called "The Secret" and there's
been a definite shift in my cosmic karma (yeah man.)
 I have met with my business coach and he's galvanised me into beginning a business profile and plan so I really understand my strengths - not only for my product but also for myself- By embarking on my written business plan I will also understand my aims and dreams and I'll be better fixed to actually make them a reality! I also found out today, that Country Living Fairs have accepted me on their Christmas Fair so now I just have to read through the fine print and sign on the dotted line...
I'm incredibly excited and also rather nervous but that's understandable and part of growing and changing.

Crumbs- I need to crack open a nice cup of cha!

I have been SO motivated this week- I feel I have turned a huge corner - a corner so large it might
belong to the edge of the entire County of East Sussex or at least Wembley's football pitch.
Having pitched up at some business seminars this week, as well as some "how to" workshops (I was secretly dreading) I'm now feeling almost "American" in my "Go-to!", "can-do!","I'm so perky!" approach.It might indeed get a tad wearing for my poor beloved, but hey, if it gets things done...

I have attended the Country Living Gift Fair, met a lot of nice stand holders and have decided to take the plunge and so I have applied for a place at their Christmas Fair - Oh, Please God of Accessories - make a place available for me! - I have also looked into funding and other breath-taking steps towards really pushing my business further, and to cap it all, I even managed to hand out my lovely new business cards to no fewer than 10 fresh souls! (This is a major coup for one who's usually so shy about self-promotion...)

I can't wait to get the bags back on track!

I am so pleased with how this month is turning out!

Apart from a new window cleaner who has really lifted my spirits - so I can see out of the window from my top floor office now (phew!) I am finally getting somewhere with getting my collection made in china.
hooray!

February is racing by- despite the cruel sea-winds here, and the threat of more snow. The snowdrops and other bulbs are stabbing through the claggy flowerbeds in my back garden...
Oscar dog is getting hairier on his front legs - a sign of "Sean Connery" maturity in his breed ( I am reliably told), and that's all right by me!
I am waiting for all the China factories to go back to work this week before posting off my parcel of bag prototypes and can't wait to see if they can match my washed leather swatches out there and get some new bags made up....I really need this to work so I can build on the momentum that has ebbed since last September.
I've also had my 39th birthday - not one I wish to remember- it was pouring with rain,mixed in with a hospital visit and several underwhelming presents so I'd like to think that the big 40th in 2011 will be a lot better.
On a much more positive note- I have reconnected with several old uni friends on Facebook and seem to be doing well with all my essays I'm writing for my 7303 City and Guilds teaching certificate - so I think I'll be giving myself a large pat on the back this evening in the form of a huge hot chocolate.

What a gorgeous sunny day,the sun's warmth really makes a welcome change from all the grey brooding skies and icy winds.
I am still on the hunt for the right factory to make my bags and have been in touch with another old colleague out in Hong Kong.I'm going to send the design specs out for them to see if they're "do-able."

I've also had a meeting with an old employer and I might be working on some accessory collection mood boards for them to set the scene for S/S 2011.Looking forward to it.

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be so much better than last year...healthwise, I am now fit as a fiddle and after a good
Creative Christmas fair at the Hastings Arts Forum, I was pleased with the tweed and knitted scarf sales.
Many friends and family received them as gifts too and I think they went down well!
Oscar is huddling under my checked blanket to keep out of the icy drafts in the house and I'm grateful for his warmth which thaws my toes.... Brrr....
I am starting a part time adult education teaching course next week so Mondays are going to be busy with homework from now on,but I'm really looking forward to it.

Who knows, later in the year, I could be teaching some of you to design handbags, embroider and dress-make in the evenings!

The weather here's been dreadful! The wind's been driving the salty spray onto all our windows and now I can't see a thing!
 Small dogs and even the odd old lady have been sailing past the windows and there's NOTHING I CAN DO TO SAVE THEM!
Oscar and I are hunkered in - me with the sewing machine and him nestled between my chair and the door -
I've been sewing up some jolly Black Denim Pirate stockings ready for Christmas and also for the Creative Christmas fair held at the Hastings Arts Forum from 11th to 22nd Dec - (check out the flyer on my home page)
Bye for now!
Captain Bird'seye.

I'm back -

I have returned, triumphant, from hospital after an operation- I won't say what for, for fear o making you all squeamish, but I'm making a good recovery and hope to be back fighting fit very soon....

I've been researching possible UK manufacturers for the handbags, and so far, I've been met with blanks, and no's... I've  also trawled through a drift of Chinese factories too, and am getting some development prices through- It's not ideal, but I think it might be the only way to get more product in...It's not somewhere I can afford to travel to, to keep an eye on my production regularly, which is my biggest concern, so I'm a little apprehensive about going for it....

Oscar has continued to model a vast array of knitwear he finds in our bedroom and he seems so at ease in front of the camera, that I'm thinking about sending him out to work as a model to earn his keep ! - watch this space.

I've recently become a member of a committee for my local arts group (hastings arts forum) so I hope to be much more active in helping to promote the arts in the area which is full or artists, craftsmen and designers....I guess living by the sea attracts a lot of arty types and I'm glad to be one of them.

Finally, what's new for November? I've created some delectable one-off scarves using some tweeds inherited from a Nottingham tailor, and I'm getting them photographed soon so they can go on sale.

So that's it for now, keep spreading the word- the number of site visitors keep rising so do keep telling your friends about
A Brand is Born!

Pinch, Punch, the first of the month! (ow! i hear you whimper...)

Welcome one and all to October - the leaves have started falling, my hair seems to be following suit, and the dog's looking decidedly less inclined to got out for his early morning walk (it's a little bit chilly for him?!)

After the mayhem of the Open Studios and Coastal Currents month down here, I am now beetling away at trying to source some new bag manufacturing asap.... Fingers crossed for a lead I'm following up next week...my proto samples are being sent to them and let's see what they say - it might not be their "thing", they might be too pricey to use, they might be brilliant - we shall have to wait and see.
I have also been wooing an old colleague in India to see if she'll develop some scarves for me...watch this space...
I have added some new products to the site to keep it fresh - so see what you think of the embroidered Tea Towels and Parisian Totes...
Right then, off to find some dinner and a comfy sofa - preferably one the dog hasn't got to first.

Well, what a fantastic weekend!
Tim had a lot of compliments on his Robertsbridge tree prints that have a slightly scary over-exposed ethereal quality to them, and a couple of people took his wedding and portrait cards too, so who knows what that will lead to?
I had a cracking day.Lots of people that hesitated last year about buying a bag were back determined and eager not to miss out this time and people seemed to like my new handmade pieces too.
I sold some of the reduced jewellery, and even a few of the trusty eco-shoppers skipped out the door on the arms of new owners too, so that was encouraging.
What was most exciting for me, was how readily people were delving in their pockets to buy the leather bags - I think I have got the pricing just right for the moment- I'm able to make profit, but not setting the prices so high that buyers hesitate about spending. It also seems to really help that customers can actually feel the leather - that's the downside to selling them online.. the tactile quality is lost...

So I am looking forward to seeing how next weekend goes and then I am going to see how I can get more stock made to bite the bullet and do a Christmas Fair.

Well, tonight Tim and I hosted our Preview evening - a way of getting some new friends and regular customers together for drinks, nibbles and to offer a sneak preview as to what's on offer at our Open Studios weekend.
It went really well, and I offered a discount for the night which helped encourage some shoppers.
It definitely helped get the Open Studios weekend opening with a bang! We just have to remember to get up early tomorrow to let the hoards in!

Well, it's the first of September, and the whole of Hastings and St Leonards are gearing up towards the Open Studios and Coastal Currents Arts Festival -
There's a great buzz in the air, and despite money being tight, there's a definite niff of excitement! People have been creative, their work's going to be inspiring and who knows?! it might even sell..
I have been really enjoying developing my new leather craft skills and have been making some small coin purses from scraps of leather and adding found beads and other trinkets...

I have also revamped an old design by incorporating traditional african batik cloth straps to contrast with the heavy embossed leather and I think it works well- the straps can be knotted to be carry handles or re-tied to create longer shoulder straps...If there's interest in this design then I might offer extra straps so you can change the straps for a different look. Open Studios will give me the chance to get real customer feedback and a god indicator as to what products to drop and which to develop further...

So what else has been happening here? Well, the weather has been fantastic, like a seaside holiday everyday for the last fortnight- the garden's looking like the Serengeti and in my enthusiasm for sewing my new embroidered teatowels, I have neglected my window boxes at the front! (so much for an attractive entrance...more like an Adams Family graveyard.)

The tea towels are really working out well- I hope that it might also inspire others to come and have a craft day lesson and
get into the pleasure of making objects for the home from scratch.I chose a linen union blend that's good quality and highly absorbent, and appliqued and free embroidered a variety of motifs, using the trusty bernina steed.
The themes vary - a couple are kind of 1950's in style using a pink and black "babycham" motif from Japan, and others are cottagy and smack of high tea with granny in a beach hut...

Tim's been working hard at selecting his new prints to exhibit, and the new tree photographs look fab- haunting and surreal- like an over-exposed black and white forest...he's also got another wedding job on our wedding anniversary- how time flies by!

Until I sew you again (geddit?!)  farewell...

Well, today's been quite productive, considering my having to sleep and keep napping like an old lady -
I am keeping myself occupied by trying to make little coin purses out of scraps of leather and lovely old buttons, trims and charms to create unique but affordable products to offer at this year's COASTAL CURRENTS & OPEN STUDIOS
art and craft event.Taking place across the Sussex coast, it's a great way to see behind, the usually closed, doors of artists, craftsmen, and other creative folk.
It's taking place in St Leonards-on-Sea and Hastings over the 1st and 2nd weekends of Sept.
Come along!

here's the link below:

http://www.coastalcurrents.org.uk/2009/

Open Studios takes place on the first and second weekends of Sept and I am busy bee-ing to get more stock made up...
It's a great way locally to get new customers in to see my products and to tell them about my internet business.
The whole of Hastings and St Leonards are involved with over a 100 artists, designers and craftsmen opening up their homes, workshops and garages to show off their wares. It makes the whole town an artist's treasure trail and is lots of fun.


So far, I have been embroidering some irish linen union teatowels with recycled cotton prints and adding my own special machine embroidery and wording to one side... I also picked some 1920's ric-rac trim to add to the edges which give them a lovely old-school vintage feel.

If these sell well then I think I'll add them to my site and get a "HOME" page built.

I have also got some greetings cards designed and printed, some fresh new business tags and have sourced some paper carrier bags so I'm feeling quite on track.


I have been prototyping some of the leather pencil cases and purses too, but so far they are not quite coming up to the standard I'd like so I might have to sell them off as samples....


Onwards,onwards....keeping cheerful and looking out at the beautiful calm sea today - bliss.

Today I got some lovely feedback from a happy customer that really made my day - sometimes I get a bit disheartened and wonder how I can reach more people and make more sales but when you get a response like this, it makes it all worthwhile...

Hi K,

Thank goodness I am back home and so relieved to be lying in my own bed ,cuddling my husband, dog and looking out at my little garden - there's something so comforting about it- and I must get the bindweed away from my lovely plants asap...I am still bedridden and poorly but hoping I am going to get this all sorted soon.
I am finally going to see a specialist in St Mary's Paddington, and get myself back to fighting fit mode!
I am desperately trying to get going with making new simple leather products in time for our Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea OPEN STUDIOS at the end of August, but when the pain kicks in I am go for NOTHING- drugged up to the eyes to block out the pain and therefore, asleep, or trying to use the sewing machine in leg twitching pain - sigh.

Can't wait til this all gets sorted and get on with my life and my business!

OOPS... still away and not as planned- i've taken a turn for the worse and am unfit to fly.
So frustrating- I'm desperate to be back home with Tim and Oscar and I need to be looking after the business too.
I'm itching to get started on the skills I learnt at the leather workshop, and the longer I'm here, the more distant it all seems...I don't have any notes from it either, cos it was all hands-on, so I hope I can remember everything!

At least the weather's really warm and I have a great ocean view...so that helps...

well, a bit of a break from a brand is born! ...alas, not for a holiday but due to ill health.just 2 weeks, which will fly by.
i can't seem to get right through the normal local hospital and docs, so i'm off to see my aunt in los angeles who's a well-respected chinese medical doctor to see if she can make a difference.
i anticipate lots of acupuncture,herbal tea formulas and a steep learning curve...wish me luck!

i will continue to keep checking the site each day and any orders can be fulfilled so, it's still all business as usual, which is what's so great about an internet business....

I have just come back from a 2 -day leather skills workshop and it's been brilliant!
I've gained so much knowledge - I knew how to design for manufacturers, but hadn't learnt how to use all the tools that are needed to make my own products from scratch- Now I have learned how to construct a variety of seams, straps, handles and fasteners , and I'm confident that once I get hold of a few new pieces of equipment, I can start getting my own products designed AND MADE here in St Leonards!

We have the Jack-in-the-Green festival down here in St Leonards and Hastings and what a gorgeous green pagan jolly this is... it's a showcase for quirky costumes and   that really inspire me. The festival celebrates the death of winter and the arrival of summer and the whole town joins in- from ales and morris dancers to green-cladded locals- all with paint daubs of green on their foreheads and cheeks, and full of fun and laughter...
I have made some hand embroidered felt wool leaves to wear as brooches and I take photos of unusal costumes...
I'm still negotiating new dates for the new prototypes and selling the last few peices of the limited edition handbags...

Did everyone have a smashing Easter?

I ate loads of chocolate but refrained from the hot cross buns which I love so much - sigh....
The vintage finds have sold well, and lots more people are looking at the site, but so far, the jewellery hasn't been touched...not sure why...economic downturn or wrong selection? I think it must be the choices I made, because the prices are great and people tend to bu small accessories when money's tight, to revamp an existing outfit.Hmmmm....

March- still no colour in our garden - a flush of green leaves and buds but I'm waiting for the bluebells and wild garlic flowers to emerge on our bank outside my studio window...
But the absence of colour in the garden doesn't deter me from adding colour to my next collection..I have drafted some more leather shapes on my spec sheets but I'm still short of a date when I can get the new samples prototyped so I have to think of another way to get some new product on the site-
I call an old business friend and get some in some lovely jewellery stock- they're artisan made from a variety of countries- India,China and the Philippines- I've chosen pieces that I personally like and one which offer simple stylish design in great uplifting colours...

Now to get the email newsletter out and spread the word!

I struck lucky today !
I have picked up some great brooches locally and i think they'll be great.I got Tim to photograph them and fingers crossed they'll sell fast - retro plastic aqua and cool seventies flicker badges.... sure fire hits? I also picked up some hand-knitted slipper socks too - the colours are a little whacky and very retro so I'm slightly unsure about their popularity - I love them but they are......odd.
I think I can hear Oscar shredding them - better go.

happy birthday to myself and to a brand is born! - the site!

a year of being with mr sites and it's changing all the time - what started out as a fashion sketchbook mixed with all sorts of little design nooks and crannies has been honed and streamlined down to much more of a shop. which all sounds obvious, but it takes a while to find out what your own style is, and how to present it online - i had a clear vision of what i wanted to begin with, but i am also limited by the templates and structure mr sites has...but for now- it's got to be this way - get the product right, get it selling regularly, then i can invest in some new site designwork....


right -i need to get cracking with updating all my meta tags so my site keeps popping up everywhere....word of mouth is way too slow for me - it's got to be word of web!

Wow! 2009 -

January - dark cold and miserable and still not feeling great, but I'm determined to keep developing the brand further and keep trying to get a sense of new-ness monthly, despite the production issues with the bags.
I have made up some tweedy scarves and added some embroidery and badges and vintage buttons to use up interesting scraps I inherited from a tailor in Nottingham, and I have started scouring through the second hand shops locally to see if I can buy some quirky brooches and other accessories to lift the web pages....
I used to be an accessory buyer so I should have a good eye for some good sellers....yet fashion is so fickle...we shall see...

Merry Christmas to everyone- did we all have a good one?
I ate and ate and relaxed and tried to feel tip-top...Oscar had a blast wading through paper, windswept beaches and food he shouldn't have been eating. He's getting stronger too, but he's still a bit too leggy and bambi-ish for his body - it's very cute.

I am trying to do some fresh design work for some new leather bag specs- I really want some new product in for March, but my manufacturer has a large order to fulfill and I'm stuck at the bottom of the pecking order again....it's very frustrating, and I would like to make more myself, but I don't have the right machinery to make the bags like this...

The tortoiseshell jumbo pins sold well over Christmas - the price seemed just right for presents and look gorgeous on - one woman came to the house to buy 5! I'm pleased they work, and it all helps to get people talking about a brand is born!

Must dash out now for Oscar's beach-side constitutional.

Ah, the soothing "clink" of knitting needles bashing one's knuckles....what bliss?!
I'm taking advantage of being weak and pathetic and getting stuck into some merino wool neckties ready for embellishing with buttons and fabrics when I'm up to it.
Oscar is helping in his own special way by licking half the yarn and unravelling the rest!

Goodness knows what he'll be like on Christmas Day with all the wrapping paper.

Still feeling rotten, but a flurry of Christmas bag sales helps to cheer the soul.-Have been very pleased with the way the leather Bucket Totes are selling (All the raspberry ones are sold out now, and so's the Olive....) but I'm surprised that the Maxim Scoop, with its' luxurious depth and swathe of leather hasn't been bought into at all!
Everyone loves the one I use daily, and my friends have bought a couple too, but the general public, just aren't buying it. it's not their "bag" (ahem)

hurrumph. I am officially unwell- not just your usual sort of "i have a cold / spot /achy head type thing" but I am seriously unwell. I have been temping locally too to add to our income and despite some more handbag sales leading towards Christmas, I am feeling rotten. My doctor calls me as says my blood levels are so low I am in danger of collapsing or having a heart attack. Blimey; no wonder I'm feeling so rough. I am told to get Tim to take me to hospital and my blood bags are being ordered! I am hooked up to the new supply for 2 days and I stay in hospital....I am extremely anemic and am not allowed to work. I crawl to bed and sleep for 24 hours.This was not the first Christmas as Mr and Mrs I was planning for....

In the cufuffle of me being ill i forgot to mention we have a new boisterous addition to the family- Oscar!
Our bambi-esque gangly-legged, three-and-a-half-month old puppy has come to live with us - He's a Slovakian Rough-haired Pointer and is a beaut! He looks a bit like a normal Pointer but with a Weimarana's colouring but with a fabulously distinguished beard and huge shire horse paws.
He does not, however come pre-trained for lead walking or going to the toilet - something he should have been doing from 10 weeks old....still we shall see if I can remember what to do when I had a puppy in 1980...oh happy days...I was but 10 and 3/4 years old.
Where's my nose clip and poo bag????

I have dug out my knitting needles and gone back to my old craft roots.
I am knitting a shaped cravate / jabou shaped tie and using gorgeous chunky Rowan Merino wool. I then find lots of quirky old buttons and embellish the scarves further with embroidery. As I studied contemporary embroidery whilst doing a Textiles Design Degree at Nottingham, I am in my element again . I hope they'll prove popular as Christmas Gifts...

Down to earth with a bumpty bump...
After the wondrous whirlwind of the wedding- which was so much fun, then the honeymoon in the idyllic Maldives on a beautiful private resort called Coco Palm, Tim and I are back to our much chillier seaside life in St Leonards.
Unfortunately I have torn lots of ligaments in my right foot so Tim had to either carry me or push me in a wheelbarrow round the isalnd for the second week- poor man!
- Now we're home I can't walk anywhere fast without uttering a blood curdling scream!

I've had a couple of orders while we were away which is great, and I'm rushing to pack them off to the post office.
I must try to get my new samples developed and made to select from, but it's proving difficult to get my work done at the busy factory at present.I am bottom of the pecking order.

Just a quickie blog entry before the wedding - my mind's not been on the brand this week at all.
I've added some new knitted and embroidered hand made scarves so that there's some fresh autumn fodder available.
i really enjoy making these - gorgeous Rowan merino wool (unfortunately noone locally stocks it)
 knitted to make little dainty jabou and neckties which are then embroidered with vntage buttons and other strange found objects and ribbons.

I can't WAIT to get married and then to escape to our turquoise atol! -Bliss...
See you all in October.

I have been working with the Arts Forum Hastings to co-ordinate the region's Open Studios artistic event - it takes place Sept 6th,7th and 12th, 13th (our wedding weekend.) Needless to say, I have been spreading my self a wee bit thin and Tim and I have been working crazy hours whilst finishing off wedding preparations and getting the event sorted.

We live right in the heart of the artistic community in St Leonards and are very close to other open houses so we have a great response and at least 60 visitors turn up on Saturday and about 45 on the Sunday - Tim sells some of his limited edition photographic prints (www.timstallionphotography.co.uk) and I sell lots of leather handbags and a couple of scarves too.
The price points seem to be fine and everyone like the soft buttery hand-feel of the leather - It means I'm on the right track - I just need more cusotmers like this every month!

Well, it's crazy, but our wedding is upon us....Fri 12th Sept.
I'm really excited about it and hoping everyone has a wonderful day. We're the first couple
to get married at the iconic Deco De La Warr Pavillion, at Bexhill-on-Sea....can't wait...and to totally relax after all the kerfuffle we're going to relax in the Maldives! Bliss....

Well, all a bit quiet for my liking on the sales front....but I have started to jiggle the pages round and adjust the photography so maybe it's going to be easier to navigate.
I've had a few nice comments on the guest book, but still, I need sales!
I've sent promotional postcards off to Buyers, and local shops, I've been brave and gone into some shops -hoping to get a stockist - but no joy- I'm doing something wrong?

I've spoken to the leisure and tourism officer at Hastings Council and they say they're thinking about a market on the station's forecourt but it's being held up by Southern Railways and the council,blah blah blah..
I asked them about holding a Sunday market along one side of Norman Rd as a trial for a few months as that's already got some great boutique/independent shops ....but they said no-go...

I even offered to manage it myself? and I haven't a clue how to do it but I just know- it's a great way to build up an area-not just for selling my handbags but for many other local designer makers here.

Well, in amongst trying to tell as many people as possible about my handbags,and the odd sale trickling in, thanks to the women at my temping job admiring my different handbag each day...I have my wedding coming up in Sept!
Both of us are working other jobs to keep the house going and I'm working on the site in the evenings and weekends...and Tim is trying to get a wedding photography booking too.
People seem to like the product and the pricing seems right, I just need more people to BUY when they enter my site....
How do other people do it?

I'm trying to find out where oh where are any decent markets round here?!
I need a way to show off my bags to the public...get them using the website.
I'm shocked that Hastings Council, that's saturated with artists and craftspeople,hasn't got a regular
street market- there's an occasional farmer's market, but that's about it - the pier should have a wonderful market thriving every Sunday- but no...the pier is privately owned..... the station at St Leonards Warrior Square, has a great area for a market, as does Norman Road, but again... none's got it going...I must find out more.

I thought long and hard about whether to make my own leather bags and go back to school and do an artisan course, but I decided, after 14 years buying and designing within the fashion industry it would be better to draw on the skills and contacts I already had, and I decided to stick to designing the collections and having a reliable manufacturer.

Price points have always been a major consideration to me- I'm not deluded enough to think I can sell a handbag for £600 with an unknown brand like mine....nor do I have a sister who's on the guest list for London fashion Week, who will promote me shamelessly, so I have to set my prices carefully.

I am caught in between wanting to really push the notion of a brand is born! being about limited edition bags,(my first order consisted of only 4 styles, and within those,4 per colour) and wanting to be able to deliver 300 per colour if a retailer gets a sniff of one of my designs and wants to supply my stock....
My pricing therefore has to be flexible enough to accommodate mass ordering as well as private shoppers.....
I want my handbags to be a reasonably priced purchase that will encourage a word-of-mouth spread of A Brand is Born!

Today's the day! I have to bite the bullet and launch the site...I know I can keep changing and evolving the look of it, but I'm impatient to have new leather products continuously rolling in, just as I did when I worked as a Buyer/Product developer...My budget is miniscule and my previous business experience has made me greedy.

I'm constantly searching through magazines for new ideas for adding simple details to add appeal to the site but I know when people feel and touch the leather I've used, they'll love the products I have.

We have survive the windy storms and crashing waves and the rusty door knockers and letter boxes and still love it here in the winter- The sunsets are so dramatic as we walk at a 45 degree angle along the prom.
We also have a wedding to plan and we are in danger of abandoning our London venue choice.

I have nearly created all the pages I want on the site now and am grappling with the Paypal system and changing the photos of some of my products.
Most of the leather bags are coming out looking fab on the screen, but others just aren't doing themselves justice- we need better lighting equipment or just a brighter day or something....
I am already thinking about what new designs I can have online, when I haven't even launched the stock I have got yet.

I feverishly unpack my Mr Sites website making kit of dreams and get cracking with the design and layout for A Brand Is Born!
I have been planning this site in my head for years and am soooo excited to finally get going.
Tim and I switch between decorating the new house and gawping at the sea out of our top windows-  think it's going to take me a while to focus on the site, and forget about the sea just outside our front door.

So after a strange love affair with London I've finally taken the bull by the horns and decided to leave The Big Smoke.
I've lived in Balham SW12/SW17 for over 12 years - in 2 rented houses as a lodger, 1 flat of my own, 1 large masionette, 1 house and have watched the area morph out of a rough-and-ready suburb that was extremely shabby to witness it becoming one of the most desirable areas to live in South London- I knew it had really "arrived" when Pizza Express opened there and M+S Foods had two stores...and somehow I also felt I should quit Balham while I was ahead.

this was just one aspect of my life that was changing -I'd met and fallen in love with Tim and within 9 months of meeting we'd got engaged...and here I was dragging him off to pastures new...as if dragging him down from Derby hadn't been enough!

So, just as the house prices began teetering we sold up and moved to St Leonards-on-Sea,East Sussex. I'd always wanted to live by the sea, and wanted to move somewhere that had a smaller community feel but one that also had all the amenities I had got used to in Balham closeby, as well as direct trains into London....More strangely to some, I wanted to move to a place that was still shabby....so I could watch it lurch out of it's pit and haul itself up to splendour over the next 5 years or so.....

Tim and I had found a wonderful Georgian house close to the beach , and we still pinch ourselves that we've live here; it's truely a unique home to own and we feel part of it's very grand history.
So in we moved, 2 weeks before Christmas, engaged and starry-eyed all ready to start life down on the coast....

Sob Sob....
I sell my beloved vintage car, a gorgeous Nissan Figaro to fund the development costs,sampling, website budget and production costs for A Brand is Born!
I send out my design specs to my friend and colleague in Lali Sahni in India who has agreed to make my very small runs of handbags for me, and so we are off! Starting this exciting new journey.
I finish my last lot of freelance design work for another client and wonder what work I'll get next?
There's a bad vibe going round within the fashion industry- more caution, less development and spending....not as many freelancer's positions coming up...